Flying east across the ocean — Friday Oct. 30th you can catch me DJing in Spain, at Huesca’s Periferias festival. Then on Saturday & Sunday I’ll be in Berlin for Ableton’s Loop, “a summit for music makers.”

This interview at Ableton blog covers some of what I’ll engage at Loop.

It’s always exciting to collaborate with Sharifa Rhodes-Pitts, author the beautiful, thoughtful book Harlem Is Nowhere. This Friday, May 29, we’re staging a new work in NYC, at the New Museum’s IDEAS CITY Festival. The evening is “a performative conference in 9 acts,” ranging from dance battles to spoken word to something involving a hot air balloon; we go on promptly at 11pm.

Our contribution, The Last Dance, is a half-hour piece about the Renaissance Ballroom in Harlem, which was demolished this past March. We’ll be joined by historian Michael Henry Adams (pictured above being arrested as he protested its destruction). This article provides context.

Friday May 29. The Aula, 268 Mulberry Street. DJ Rupture, Sharifa Rhodes-Pitts, and Michael Henry Adams present The Last Dance, part of A Performative Conference In 9 Acts.
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for a warm up, here’s our Harlem Is Nowhere mix from 2011– that’s the Renaissance Ballroom:

Queridos Defeños, nos vemos este sabado! This weekend I head down to Mexico City to DJ the 5th anniversary of Pulqueria Insurgentes! The pulqueria is one of those special places that could only exist in D.F. — a huge no-attitude possibility-rich 5 story building specializing in underground sounds and pre-hispanic fermented maguey sap…

The pulqueria is in fiesta mode for the entire weekend. On Saturday March 21st myself and buddy Sonido Martines will be on deck to shake things up, and DJs for that Friday include the Kumbia Queers’ Ali Gua Gua and legendary Sonido La Changa. Who needs a SXSW?! Full lineup: Continue reading MEXICO CITY SEE YOU SOON

This Saturday, March 14, we are bringing the Julius Eastman Memorial Dinner to Pittsburgh! The event is being presented by the Warhol Museum, and will be held at the Carnegie Museum of Art. Tickets/info. A few years ago I DJed a party at the Warhol with Questlove; it’s great to return. Also I am a huge Andy Warhol fan, he made so many things possible, giant American genius with a great wig. (Reminding myself: I should reread The Philosophy of Warhol by Andy Warhol.) To top things off, it is the birthday of JEMD vocalist Arooj Aftab. So, come on out! Here’s a nice preview article from Pittsburgh Tribute-Review.

By the way, Arooj recently released her debut album, Bird Under Water. You can listen and buy over at Bandcamp. She wrote and produced the disc, which steps inside South Asian / Sufi / classical traditions with rare grace and confidence. A moving piece of work! It’s 3AM and I’m listening to the first song, “man kunto mala,” and it is perfect right now.

This weekend we’re bringing The Julius Eastman Memorial Dinner to Toronto! I’m happy to make the project’s Canadian debut at the Music Gallery’s Avant X Festival, which is hosting all sorts of interesting events, such as the JEMD afterparty event with Dutty Artz’ DJ Ushka and our Quebecois point-man Poirier!

Remember the color-coded Homeland Security Threat Level system?
Remember how it made you feel?
I do.

My latest project is called Enkutatash እንቁጣጣሽ. It’s a participatory music performance transforming security threats into spiritual renewal. It debuts on Thursday September 11th, the Ethiopian New Year (Ethiopia uses its own calendar system) in Washington D.C. Continue reading ENKUTATASH እንቁጣጣሽ

This Sunday I’m presenting the Julius Eastman Memorial Dinner at the Bang On A Can Marathon in lower Manhattan. The event is free. The lineup is stellar. We go on in late afternoon right after the incredible Meredith Monk! (Eastman sang on Monk’s Dolmen Music) Other performers include Jherek Bischoff, Roomful of Teeth, So Percussion. Info.

I am off to Mexico City, Distrito Federal, to perform at the Vive Latino festival this weekend. DF is without a doubt one of the world’s most incredible cities — friend visiting for the first time just wrote me: “Such an incredible place, oozing with humanity from every opening… the hustlers, the colors, the shrines everywhere, the highway underpasses playing midi classical music, those guys in the official outfits playing those weird piano boxes from another century…”

Adding to the already overloaded megalopolis, Vive Latino has created a massive musician vortex with many good friends in town: Helado Negro, Ceci Bastida, Sonido Martines, Javier Estrada, Boogat, DJ Rashad, Chancha Via Circuito, and more will perform. I’m particularly excited to be on a lineup with legendary sonidero soundsystem Sonido La Changa!